


The Proposal: A Kylux AU

by SasuSwiss



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - The Proposal Fusion, Anxiety, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Kylux-Centric, M/M, Multi, Panic Attacks, The Proposal AU, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-06-04 22:36:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6678061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SasuSwiss/pseuds/SasuSwiss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU based off the 2009 film The Proposal. </p><p>Things get complicated when Hux tells Snoke that he and his assistant Ben are engaged to avoid deportation back to England. Hux and Ben must keep up the charade or face the consequences, while Hux's emotions and Ben's family threaten to send the whole thing crashing down.</p><p>More tags will be added as this progresses</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thursday

**Author's Note:**

> To avoid any possible confusion the characters ages are as follows:  
> Hux- 27, Ben- 25, Rey- 19, Finn- 22, Poe- 26, Phasma- 30, OFC- 26
> 
> Leia and Luke- 46, Han- 48, Wedge- 50, Anakin- 65, Padmé- 70, Obi-Wan- 75, Hux Sr- 60

_ Ben _

There are several factors that have led to Ben’s current predicament, all of them have to do with him not quitting his job when he’d first had the chance. Officially Ben’s title is head editorial assistant, unofficially he’s Hux’s Bitch.

Hux being, Oliver Hux, Chief Editor at First Order  Publishing . Affectionately called Olly by absolutely no one. He is brash, egotistical, cocksure and an absolute control freak. He rules his department with an iron fist and he’s always on top of everything. 

Except as it turns out, his personal affairs. Hux is an English national by birth, who immigrated to the U.S. when he was headhunted by First Order  Publishing at the ‘bright young’ age of nineteen. Being the son of a military man made it so that Hux was extremely driven with his work from a very young age, although working for a  publishing company, no matter how successful, was not what Hux’s father had in mind for him.

Every couple of months Hux is required to update his visa, it’s a complicated process that as a citizen of the U.S., Ben doesn’t fully understand but he knows that, should Hux forget to update his papers, he gets deported. 

Factor one to Ben’s predicament arose when Hux forgot about said paperwork and proceeded to ignore his lawyers calls in regards to said paperwork for nearly two weeks. 

Most people who have a walking, talking nightmare for a boss, would be ecstatic to learn that said boss was being deported. Ben unfortunately doesn't have that luxury because Hux isn’t going to be deported. At least not yet, because Ben’s genius of a boss told his lawyer, the company’s CEO and the people at the immigration office that he and Ben are engaged. 

Factor two of Ben’s predicament, he hates Hux, physically hates Hux,  _ everyone _ who knows Ben knows that he hates Hux. Ben’s parents, whom Ben hasn't seen in over three years because of Hux, know that Ben hates Hux. Suddenly being engaged to someone who, on multiple occasions Ben has described to his mother, as being the living embodiment of Satan, is going to look suspicious.

The third factor extends from the second, if it is discovered that he and Hux are lying about their relationship, which they are, Ben could face not only a pretty hefty fine but also possible jail time and Hux will get deported anyway. 

Stemming from that, the fourth and final factor to Ben’s predicament is that Hux has to meet his family, because Ben’s family have to be made aware of the fact that Ben is engaged or else the immigration office will have even more trouble believing that this relationship is real. It’s not. 

Which is how Ben ends up on a tiny charter flight with Oliver ‘did I mention I am terrified of aeroplanes’ Hux, headed to the absolute middle of nowhere, Alaska.

 

\-------------------

 

Besides, Ben, Hux is sitting board stiff, his nails are digging into the worn arm of his seat and his eyes are shut tight. Part way through the flight he’d seemed to relax a little but then they’d hit a little turbulence and that had been the end of that. It’d all be over soon, their plane had just begun its descent to the tarmac and while this news did nothing to ebb Hux’s anxiety it was a small comfort for Ben. 

It had been over three years since he’d been back to Alaska and while he hadn’t left on the best of terms he was happy to be back. Despite the circumstances, they wouldn’t have to deal with his family for another few hours. Ben had insisted renting a car wasn’t that big of deal, besides his mother had already talked ‘them’ into staying at the family house.

_ “Family doesn’t stay in a hotel, Ben.” She’d scolded firmly. “Not when there is a perfectly fine house to stay in for free!”  _

It wasn’t that Ben didn’t want to stay in his family’s house, more so was it that the house was almost always packed with people and he didn’t want Hux to be overwhelmed. Although, why he was being so considerate to the man that is ruining his life, he has no idea. Agreeing to staying at the house and threatening to turn around and get back on the plane should anyone show up at the airport, had been enough to get his mother to allow him to rent a car. 

They finally manage to get off the plane, after a lot of waiting and being jostled by the disembarking passengers. Hux has visibly relaxed, still paler than paper and a little clammy but otherwise he seems to be fine now that they’re back on solid ground. However, the anxiety from the flight hasn’t dampened his attitude at all, a fact that Ben finds to be very unfortunate. He’d almost gotten used to the much quieter, panic-y version of Hux. 

Nearly as soon as they clear the gate, Hux has his phone out and turned back on. He’s back to business so quick, it’s like getting whiplash. He calls Snoke first, having a very brief conversation with the CEO of First Order Publishing before hanging up and calling someone else. It doesn’t take long for Ben to realize Hux has called Phasma. 

Phasma is quite possibly the only human being that can stand to be around Hux outside of a work setting. She is a very imposing woman, who on occasion directs Hux’s ire away from his subordinates. Phasma would be scarier than Hux if they shared a similar personality, Ben is very thankful that they don’t, one Hux is bad enough. She’s the head of a different department but ultimately answers to Hux who only answers to the CEO. 

They wait by the carrousel for their bags, Hux is so close Ben manages to catch the tail end of his conversation with Phasma without so obviously eavesdropping. 

“Just don’t let Hunter give Millicent too many treats,” Hux is telling Phasma in a slightly quieter tone than he usually uses to address people. “I will  _ not  _ call her that.” He snaps abruptly before continuing softly. “Last time you let her help, Millicent got fat.” 

Ben almost trips. Hux has been on the phone with Phasma for nearly five minutes and all they’re discussing is his stupid cat, because of course Hux is a cat person. 

“It  _ is _ possible, it happened.” He complains into his phone. “Of course I trust you. God what are you my mother… No… Phasma… Phasma I can hear the bag!” The call must disconnect because Hux pulls it away from his ear and glares at it like it’s offended him. He doesn’t make any more calls, or speak at all for that matter until they reach the rental car.

The slightly shorter man keeps up with Ben’s long strides all the way from baggage claim to the rental car garage across the street. The car is a simple thing, with all wheel drive so they don’t get stuck in the snow and it sits in it’s spot, Ben’s names beside the lot number. Once their bags are in the back and both of them settled, they hit the road.

“Did you manage to read through any of those questions during the flight?” Ben asks quietly, calmly. He knows most of the information required off him due to his long hours and years working with Hux, but his boss knows surprisingly little about him. 

“I skimmed.” Hux replies evenly. “We can discuss the binder later, right now, I think it’s more appropriate you tell me about your family. I’d prefer to know who everyone is before we get there.”

Ben grunts in agreement before actually replying. He can practically hear the chiding Hux used to give over the action.  _ Use your words, Solo.  _ “I put pictures in the binder” It’s a simple statement, directing Hux to do something without actually ordering him to do something. It also reveals that Hux didn’t look through the binder too thoroughly, or else he’d of seen them already.

It works well enough, at his own pace Hux lifts the binder’s cover and carefully pulls out the photographs. Out of the corner of his eye, Ben can see Hux leaf through them, they aren’t anything special, Ben simply pulled the most recent photos of his family members off of his cousin’s social media. He included a couple of extra people, knowing they’d be floating around. Once Hux has finished looking at all the photographs and the pile is back to the order it was originally, they start discussing the people in them.

“This is your mother, I presume” Hux states, he holds the picture up for Ben to quickly glance at.

“Yeah, that’s her” Ben confirms with a nod forcing his eyes on the road before them. 

“Very informative, Solo” Hux huffs. “What does she do? What’s her name?”

“Leia. She’s a retired senator. Mostly she just advises politicians now and manages the family”

“Matriarchal family” Hux murmurs and Ben nods again in confirmation. Hux sets the image down and picks up the next one. “Father?”

“Han. Mechanic, used to be a pilot” 

Hux places the picture of Han down besides the one of Leia and flips to the next image. “You have a sister?”

“Cousin. Rey. She’s… I guess technically she’s dad’s apprentice.”

“She looks quite similar to you,” Hux muses before he quickly switches pictures. “Then this is your uncle I take it?”

“My mother’s twin. Luke. Rey’s father although he’s basically a hermit at this point.”

“And the man next to him?”

“Wedge Antilles. Rey’s other father”

“She’s adopted then?” Hux’s asks, sounding slightly confused.

“No”

“So then, that would mean your family won’t be too shocked to learn you are with another man.” Hux continues unfazed, it almost sound like a little bit of wonder in his voice. 

“They know I’m romantically inclined towards men, if that was your way of asking”

“Interesting” Hux places the image of Luke and Wedge down beside the image of Rey. He’s set all the pictures aside as if, noting how each person is related to the other. “I can’t place these two with your cousin.”

“Finn and Poe” 

“Which is which?”

“Poe is in the ridiculously orange jumpsuit” Ben tells him without looking over. 

“Is he an inmate?”

“He’s a fighter pilot, that’s his flight suit, he’s rather proud of it” 

Hux makes a soft ‘ah’ noise as if he understands, but Ben is certain he doesn’t. “And what does Finn do?”

“Finn is a…” Ben pauses for a moment then shakes his head. “I’m not actually sure what he does to be honest. Rey met him after I left.”

“So this will be the first time you meet them as well?”

“Just Finn. I grew up with Poe.”

Hux nods, he places the picture with Rey’s and looks at the last one. “Grandparents?”

“Padmé, Anakin and Obi-wan” Ben looks over at the picture and smiles. “My grandparents and… granduncle I suppose. They’ve been nearly inseparable since my grandfather, Anakin, was a child. Padmé… my grandmother’s birthday is this weekend, they’ve probably planned a huge celebration for it.”

“How old will she be?”

“Seventy” 

Hux nods and falls silent. It doesn’t last of course, but even if Hux hadn’t broken the silence, Ben would have eventually. “We should go over the binder now.”

So that’s what they do for the duration of the drive to Ben’s family home. They don’t get very far because everyone once and awhile Hux gets aggravated and shuts down for a few minutes. But they’ve gone over most of the basics and everything that Ben knows about Hux by the time they’re pulling into the driveway.

Leia is already standing on the porch when they pull up to the house, Ben wonders to himself if she’s been waiting outside since they landed. He hopes not, that was over two hours ago and it’s still too cold to just stand around outside. He makes a mental note to ask Rey later. 

“Brace yourself” He mutters to Hux lowly, reaching for the door handle.

“Wait” Hux says quickly. 

Ben sighs but pauses. 

“Oliver”

“What?”

“You can’t very well call me Hux all weekend, now can you?” 

Ben blinks, he hadn’t thought of that. “Okay” He says with a nod and before Hux can stop him this time, he’s swinging the car door open. 

He can tell that his mother is excited to have him home, and for her part she manages to stay on the porch till Ben has collected his and Hux’s bags from the trunk. Hux offers to take his bag himself but the man can’t hold his suitcase and hug his coat to himself at the same time so Ben declines the offer. Ben’s never had much trouble with the cold.

They walk together up the path to the porch, Ben’s pace slowed by the suitcases while Hux’s because of his mounting anxiety. One would think this wasn’t his plan after all. When they get close, Leia hops down the steps and wraps Ben in a tight hug. He murmurs a quiet but affectionate ‘hello’, dropping a kiss to the top of her head before she loosens her hold and steps back. 

“Look at you all grown up” She wipes a tear from her eye, Ben knows it’s just for show, she doesn’t break down that easily. 

“I was grown when I left, mother” He informs her dryly. She hushes him and turns to Hux.

“You must be the man I’ve heard so much about” She says those words and Ben flushes instantly. He looks away when Hux shoots him a dirty look. “Now now, it’s fine. Before Han and I got together I despised him. He was horribly crude and uncouth.” She laughs and it’s a sweet sound, Ben’s missed it. “And now we can’t get enough of each other~”

“Mom!” Ben yelps, horrified. Leia just laughs a little more and ushers them into the comfortably heated house.

 

\-------------------

 

Ben silently thanks whoever it is that is looking out for him, that his entire family isn’t sitting in the living room waiting for them. He’s not sure he could handle that much attention and he certainly can’t speak for Hux but the man has been extremely anxious the past few hours. Ben doesn’t really want to find out what happens when that anxiety finally spills over and Hux implodes.

“Ben’s father is at the shop still,” Leia is telling Hux quietly. “He’ll be home soon, but it’s better that he’s stayed away a little longer”

“Do Ben and his father not get along?” Hux asks genuinely curious because Ben didn’t mention it. 

“Thick as thieves actually, but Han is a difficult… opinionated man and Ben has my terrible stubbornness,” She smiles fondly. “They just… tend to disagree with what Ben has chosen to do with his life.”

Hux makes that small sound again, the one he made in the car, the small ‘ah’ as if he understands even though he probably doesn’t. Ben find it almost endearing, mentally slapping himself when the thought crosses his mind. 

Leia leads them to Ben’s old room, they’ve since changed the decor, much to Ben’s relief. There’s only one bed, of course, and Hux voices his concern, to which, to Ben mortification, Leia tells them she has no illusions as to what they must get up to in the bedroom. The only thing that ebbs Ben’s embarrassment is that Hux looks just as mortified by the reveal as Ben himself feels. Leia laughs at the looks that cross their faces and leaves them to get settled in. 

“She’s nice” Hux says in a way that implies he isn’t quite sure how to describe Ben’s mother.

“She’s something alright” Ben mutters in response. He sets to work unpacking his belongings and putting them in the dresser. It’s a force of habit. Ben is the type of person who unpacks everything and puts it in places where it is easily accessible. 

Hux on the other hand is the type of person who leaves everything in his suitcase and throws himself onto Ben’s old bed. It’s a part of Hux’s persona that just doesn’t fit, but Ben supposes he has more control when everything is in one place rather than spread out.

“We should head back downstairs or she’ll think we’re up to no good” Ben tells Hux, the look Hux gives him in return pulls a quiet chuckle out of him. “You heard her ‘no illusions’” He finishes putting his things away, hauls Hux off the bed and heads back downstairs. 

When Ben makes it to the bottom landing, the sound of feet hurrying across the floor is all the warning he gets before a petite body hurls itself at him. Legs are suddenly curled around his ribs and arms around his head, he's got a mouthful of his assailants hair and he can't see a thing. 

“Rey, you are a human being not a monkey, please let go of your cousin” It's a muffled, chiding order from his mother, an order that Rey disregards for a full two minutes before she's finally uncurling herself from around Ben’s person. 

Vision clear and no people hanging off of him Ben looks down into the blazing brown eyes of his baby cousin. She's got tears at the corners of her eyes but they don't fall over onto her cheeks.

“Rey.” Ben greets her fondly a small smile lifting the corner of his mouth.

She punches him, twice, in the chest before she's shouting at him. “Where have you been?!” 

“Ow” Ben complains and rubs the spot she’s hit him, she doesn’t seem to notice.

“You've been gone three years and all you have to say is ‘Rey’ with that dopey smile on your face!” Her brows furrow together and her nose scrunches up in irritation making her look like a disgruntled pup. 

“Rey, I spoke to you last week” Ben says exasperatedly in a lame attempt to placate her anger. “You told me all about that car you are rebuilding, remember?” 

“Don't talk to me like I'm grandma, of course I remember but that's not the same as an actual visit” 

“Alaska is a little far for a weekend visit” Ben explains with a sigh. Beside him Hux looks extremely amused, his hand at his mouth to muffle his snickering. “I'm sorry I'm being rude. Rey, Oliver Hux. Oliver, my baby cousin Rey”

Before Ben has finished the introduction Rey has Hux wrapped up in a tight hug. She hits Hux hard and the air is forced from him with a low ‘oof’. “It's so good to finally meet you!” She exclaims happily. 

Rey is very touchy, a trait she seemingly inherited from Wedge, but she had never gotten the grasp of being gentle with the affection. This meant she had a habit of being too rough and knocking the wind out of nearly everyone she meets. 

Now that Rey is focused on Hux, who is trying to pry her off of him to no avail, Ben notices the man standing just behind his mother. “You must be Finn.” Ben states bluntly nodding at the man. 

The man in question tenses up, stammering uselessly before settling on a quick nod. 

“Don't intimidate my boyfriend” Rey complains loudly, petulantly. “I've got two of them. Don't think I won't sick them on yours!”

It’s weird hearing Hux referred to in such a casual way, with that possessive term before his name, it causes Ben to falter a little. “Speaking of...Where's Poe?” Ben asks as a way to hide his momentary unease. 

Rey's expression immediately creases into a frown and Finn speaks for the first time. “His unit was recalled…” He explains in his, Ben assumes, naturally quiet voice. “He did manage to finagle a few days of leave for Padmé’s birthday though so he should be arriving soon”

Rey finally moves from Hux’s side and over to Finn, taking his hand in hers and squeezes gently, comfortingly. They’re obviously having a even more difficult time with this, than what Rey had initially let on in conversations with Ben over the past few months. 

Ben understands what they are going through though, just, maybe not as intimately. He still remembers what it was like when Han would be gone for weeks without any contacts. How his mother would stare distractedly out at the driveway, waiting for him to return. How when people from her office would stop, she’d tense. He hates knowing, seeing,  Rey go through the same thing his mother went through, but he also knows this is what Poe wanted and they had to be supportive of that even when they disagreed with it. 

“He's almost done with his enlistment though” Rey tells them with a hint of hope in her voice. She'd told Ben only a month ago that Poe was thinking of re-enlisting. It had caused quite the argument between the couple over the past few weeks.

“That’s great, Rey” Ben says even though he knows it’s giving her false hope. She so badly wants to believe that Poe will stay, here, in Alaska after his enlistment is up. 

 

\-------------------

 

They end up spending a couple of hours in the living room with Rey and Finn, getting to know the other man in Rey’s life. Finn is obviously intimidated by Ben and Ben isn’t trying very hard to stop that fear. He’d of done the same thing to Poe had they not grown up together, been relatively good friends, before Poe and Rey had started seeing each other. 

They learn that Finn met Rey through Poe and that he met Poe through a mutual friend, he didn’t say who and Ben immediately thinks he’s lying. Rey and Poe’s relationship had always been an open one and Ben’s imagination is probably making the real story seem worse than it actually is. But Rey seems to genuinely care about Finn, if the way she is constantly touching him and holding his hand is any indication. So Ben leaves it alone.

Finn asks about Hux a couple of times, Hux who disappeared for a ‘nap’ as soon as was polite. Ben deflects the questions he can’t answer, mostly because they need to keep their story straight and he’s afraid he won’t remember how he answered. He does manage to answer a few of Finn’s questions though, which makes the situation less suspicious. 

Eventually he excuses himself, telling the couple he is exhausted from the flight, not entirely false, and goes back upstairs to his room. 

Surprisingly enough, Hux is actually asleep, starfished in the center of Ben’s bed. Another quality that Ben finds to be very unlike Hux. 

Ben tries to be as quiet as possible, not even turning the light on, but a floorboard moans under his weight and Hux’s eyes immediately fly open. 

‘Sorry’ Ben silently mouths to his sleep rumpled boss. Hux makes a noncommittal noise and shifts so he isn’t taking up the entire bed. Ben thinks he’s about to go back to sleep but instead he rolls over and sits up. His hair is mussed and his eyes red with sleep. 

“What time is it?” He inquires around a yawn.

“Quarter past six” Ben informs him, keeping his voice low. “I was actually going to try and catch some sleep before dinner.” Han had been held up at the shop so Leia had postponed dinner. It wasn’t like she was cooking or anything they were just going to order in anyway.

“Anyone new stop by?” Hux asks, almost sounding concerned and maybe he is. He’s probably afraid of seeming antisocial or rude,  _ he is both _ , he needs Ben’s family to like him after all, if this is going to work.

“You’re fine.” 

Hux nods, he rubs at his eyes again and then reaches for his phone, set on the nightstand beside the bed. When he unlocks it the light is bright, illuminating his face in it’s white light, in the poorly lit room. Hux nearly drops his phone because of it, trying to shield his face from the beams of light. Once he’s adjusted, he hits a number on his phone and brings it up to his ear.

“Phasma?” He asks through another yawn, free hand coming up to scrub at his face.“Hunter… Give the phone to Phasma… Well, I don’t want to talk to you… No… Hunter, give Phasma her phone!” He gets up and moves towards the balcony sliding the dividing door open, stepping outside and slamming it shut behind him. 

Ben is certain that Hux instantly regrets this action, he has gone outside without his coat or his shoes, but Ben’s sure he is also too stubborn and proud to come back inside to get them. Ben decides he’s fine with this and moves towards his bed, collapsing onto it with a groan of relief and closing his eyes. 

He must drift off because the sound of the sliding door opening, wakes him. Ben turns his head and sees Hux looking terrified and frozen. 

“What?” Ben groans turning his head away. “Close the door you’re letting the heat out.”

“Your father is back… and I can only assume he has brought a bear into the house with him” Hux informs Ben after he’s slid the door closed. 

“S’not a bear” Ben grumbles sleepily.

“Then what the fuck is it?!” Hux is shouting so Ben pulls his pillow over his head.

“It’s just Chewbacca”

“What the hell is a Chewbacca?!” 

Clearly Hux isn’t going to let Ben go back to sleep until he gets the answers he wants, so with a huff Ben sits up. “Chewbacca is my dad’s dog, he’s a million years old” It’s over exaggeration, something Ben knows Hux’s hates but the editor doesn’t comment on it, Ben notes that, instead he just looks terrified. “Are you afraid of dogs?” 

“Of course not” Hux snaps defensively. 

“So if I called him in here you’d be fine?” Ben asks and Hux somehow manages to look even more scared but firmly denies that he’s afraid of the dog. So Ben does just as he’s threatened too and calls for the dog with a shout and a loud whistle. 

Chewbacca, an extremely large, dark brown, Great Pyrenees comes charging through the house, the shouts of Ben’s family following him, as he runs up the stairs, down the hall and skids around the corner into Ben’s room. 

The sound of the balcony door opening and shutting quickly signals Hux has left the room just before the dog leaps up onto the bed, laying down on top of Ben.

Chewbacca cries and whimpers loudly, pressing his big face and wet nose against the underside of Ben’s chin and neck.

“Good boy” Ben coos, laughing and pets the whimpering dog. He scratches behind the dog’s big ears and pats the top of his head before pushing the fur ball to off the bed gently. 

Chewbacca manages to lave his wet, drool covered tongue across Ben’s face and a couple of the messy curls of Ben’s hair before Ben can pull away. 

“Real gross Chewie” Ben complains but the dog only tilts his big head to the side and wags his tail. Ben pats his head again and looks up at Hux, who is standing on the balcony shivering.

If looks could kill Ben is certain he’d be six feet under and then some by now. Hux is shaking from the cold, his pale cheeks flushed red and his lips are turning blue. 

“You have to come in sometime,” Ben tells him, to which Hux’s scowl deepens. “You’ll catch your death out there”

“That beast is more likely to kill me than the cold” Hux shouts back stubbornly. 

Ben snorts and turns his attention back to the dog, Chewbacca turns his head to look at Hux but he’s clearly more interested in Ben because his attention switches between the two men very quickly. 

Ben isn’t going to send the dog away because eventually Hux will have to come in and face his fear. He knows that Hux isn’t stupid enough to risk hypothermia for long. Of course, Hux is saved when Leia pokes her head into the room to tell them dinner has arrived. 

“Ben!” She snaps upon seeing Hux standing outside shivering, barefoot and coatless. She hurrying over to the balcony, snagging a fluffy blanket from the back of the arm chair in the corner. 

“He’s afraid of Chewie” Ben explains lamely.

“Of course he is look at the size of him” She shoos Chewbacca from the room, he leaves without a fuss, and slides the door open. “You poor thing” She’s immediately all over Hux, pulling him inside, wrapping him in the blanket, feeling his forehead and cheeks. “I hadn’t realized I’d raised my son to be a such a scoundrel” She growls at Ben with little heat but he looks away from her anyway. If she only knew the half of it.

Hux is shivering rather violently and his teeth are chattering, Ben feels a little bad about it but this guy has tormented him for three straight years. He’s earned the right to torture him a little, it’s not like Hux can do anything about it, he needs Ben.

 

\-------------------

 

They head downstairs once more, Ben ahead of Hux and Leia because his mother insisted on helping Hux even though he swore he didn’t need it. Naturally she continues to scold Ben all the way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Where of course, Ben’s entire family has decided to join them.

“What did you do now?” Han’s gruff voice asks from across the room. Ben isn’t actually sure if his father is asking him or if he’s asking Chewie. The dog is obediently sitting beside his owner, tail thumping against the cool tile of the kitchen floor. Ben decides against answering because his mother and Hux round the corner answering the question. 

“Your son was a nasty scoundrel and played a trick on his poor boyfriend,” Leia starts to explain, Han interrupts.

“How is it that he’s only my son when he’s a ‘nasty scoundrel’?” It’s been their argument for years, if Ben did something wrong, he was Han’s problem, if Ben was being ridiculously stubborn, then he was Leia’s. 

“Because he gets it from you” She snaps, she’s not actually angry at Han, they all know that of course, she’s not even actually angry at Ben, just a little irritated with their antics. “How could you not tell us he’s afraid of dogs?” 

Ben almost tells them that he didn’t know, but manages to stop himself and recovers with. “I don’t have a dog in the city, I didn’t honestly think it was that severe” He looks over at Leia and Hux and both pairs of eyes are glaring at him, Hux’s more heated than Leia’s. 

Leia huffs and guides Hux into a seat. “I’ll make you some cha, dear” She tells him quietly and he gives her a smile of appreciation. The smile looks wrong on his face, where Ben is so used to always seeing a frown. He looks to be confused, so Ben mouths ‘tea’ at him before Leia addresses them again. “You. Sit.” She snaps at Ben and points to the seat besides Hux. “He needs to get his temperature back up.”

“He could cuddle with Chewie for a while” Ben says jokingly and laughs when Hux looks stricken by the idea. 

Leia wacks the back of Ben’s head as she passes by and he ducks slightly still laughing. “Terrible, just terrible, it’s a wonder he likes you at all. Go on get closer, body heat is good”

Ben frowns at that, his eyes meet Hux’s and then they both look away, they don’t like each other at all. He tugs his chair closer to Hux’s and pulls at the corner of the blanket, Hux’s skin is ice-y and he’s still shaking with slight tremors. Ben navigates the blanket around his back and over his own shoulder, making a show of pulling Hux closer to him. It’s awkward and Hux is stiff again, Ben pinches him and forcing him to relax a little.

 

\-------------------

_ Hux _

 

“You could have told me you were afraid of dogs… and planes” Ben whispers to Hux while his family isn’t paying them any attention. Hux decided not to dignify the statement with a response. Ben claimed to know everything there was to know about him, he should have figured it out ages ago. 

“Oliver, right?” Han asks Hux from across the room where he’s leaning against the counter, the beast of a dog leaning on his leg. He’s been staring at Hux since he was swept into the room, it was terribly uncomfortable and Hux is glad the man has finally decided on what he wanted to know.

Hux’s eyes track across the room and it’s many occupants, to Ben’s father. He finds himself staring at the man momentarily, taking in the differences between Ben’s father and his own, before he gives a slow nod. “Oliver Hux, sir” 

“So formal” An older, feminine voice says with a little giggle. Both Ben and Hux turn their heads, necks straining as they look over their shoulders for the source. Obviously the voice is familiar to Ben and not at all to Hux. Hux starting to feel the sudden discomfort of being surrounded by so many people he doesn’t know, of being out numbered.

Padmé, Hux recognizes her from the photographs, stands beside a man who looks like he is Hux’s father’s age, with a wavy mess of brown hair that has only recently started to silver out, it is similar to Ben’s own hairstyle, Hux notes. A somewhat shorter, older looking man whose hair has greyed out significantly more, but Hux can still see some auburn strands, is on the woman’s other side. Anakin and Obi-wan. They all look much younger than Hux had expected and he stares at them for a moment then diverts his eyes to look at Ben, who is smiling at the threesome fondly. 

Obi-wan steps away, moving a bit slow but still graceful towards the counter, meanwhile Anakin guides Padmé to the chair across from Ben. She sits and Anakin drops gracelessly into the seat besides her, she looks a bit tired, pale even and Anakin is fussing over her quietly. 

Their interaction is an oddity to Hux and he finds that all he can do is stare. All he can do is watch as Anakin Skywalker lovingly takes care of his wife. As Obi-wan intervenes gently when Anakin won't leave her alone, as he places tea before the two of them, makes sure it's alright before taking a seat on the other side of Padmé with his own mug. 

It's something his parents never did. When his mother fell ill, it was like his father hadn't even noticed, the world outside kept moving, kept working, taking Brendol Hux with it while Hux’s mother quietly left it entirely.

He’s spent less than a day with Ben’s family, hasn't even met all of them yet and somehow he feels like he knows these people ten times better than he ever knew his own family. These people that are so different from each other, so different from what he imagined and Ben is a different person in their company. Hux realizes now, sitting across from Ben’s grandparents, wrapped in a blanket that Padmé most likely made, sitting so close to Ben he can feel the heat radiating off of him, that this was a horrible idea. He’s going to end up hurting all these people and he shouldn't care. They're going to hate him when they find out, because they will find out. They're going to be angry with Ben and this could very well drive a stake between the young man and his loving family. 

Hux finally pulls his gaze from the three in front of him, focusing on his hands instead. People are talking around him but he can't seem to register what they're saying. He draws in as deep a breath as he can manage, holds it and then breathes out. He does it over and over. 

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. 

“Hux?... Oliver?” Ben asks softly, right in Hux’s ear. 

Hux's looks up at Ben unblinking, shifts his gaze towards the concerned eyes all around him and smiles softly.

_ They don't know you. You don't need them. You're fine. Focus _ . “I'm sorry, what were you saying?”  



	2. Friday Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long wait between chapters. This fic was always meant to be slow updating just not this slow updating. 
> 
> After a lot of debating I decided to post the second chapter as it is... originally it was meant to contain the entirety of the second day but as my writers block won't allow that.... I will bump up the number of chapters to accommodate for only having part of the second day in this chapter

Hux 

Hux wakes to his cell phone buzzing loudly across the surface of the nightstand, he rolls over onto his stomach and uses one forearm to lift himself up ever so slightly. Reaching out with his free arm, he picks the phone up just as the vibration of the buzzing moves it close to the edge of the nightstand.

At first, he assumes he’s getting a phone call, but he’s relieved to find that it’s just the alarm he forgot to turn off. Clicking his phone on, he’s temporarily blinded by the bright yellow hued light, ‘night shift’ enabled be damned, that nearly causes him to drop the phone to the floor.

**06:00**

Sighing softly Hux shifts over once more, rolling onto his back and kicking the many blankets and quilts off of his body. He moves slowly, carefully because he isn’t entirely sure where Ben ended up settling down last night.

Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he gets up. His feet hit the icy floor and he almost instantly regrets getting up at all. He is not a morning person, at least, not when he’s on ‘vacation’. However, Hux knows that once he’s awake it will be hopeless to try and get back to sleep.

He steps over Ben, who’s sprawled across the floor rather ridiculously. Hux doesn’t remember denying Ben the extra space on the bed, in fact they never actually discussed it at all. There really isn’t any need for Ben to be on the floor, Hux isn't that stingy.

 As he moves away from his sleeping assistant a hand reaches out and grips his ankle. Hux freezes.

“You can take the bed now” Hux whispers, voice still a bit groggy from sleep. He glances down at Ben, he can hardly see the other man’s face in the darkness of the room and can just barely make out the mess that is his hair.

Ben doesn’t say anything, just releases Hux’s ankle and pulls his pillow over his head. Hux snorts and continues across the room to his suitcase, kneeling down he uses his phone as a flashlight and shuffles through the contents of his bag for his running clothes. He hadn’t really planned on going for a run while visiting Ben’s family, but if he was already awake he didn’t see any reason to break routine.

“Take a coat” Ben croaks out quietly from under his burrow of blankets and pillows. Hux looks over, smirking as he watches Ben shift, lifting himself from the floor, gathering his burrow with him and dropping unceremoniously onto the bed.

Hux watches quietly as Ben shifts around, pulling blankets up and over his long body, tucking pillows around himself and then pulls a free pillows over his head again and Hux can hear his quiet snoring from under the heap of fabric and down only seconds later.

He turns back to his suitcase and pulls his windbreaker and a sweatshirt out from it.

Still using his phone as a light Hux slips into the darkness of the adjoining bathroom, closing the door firmly before flipping the overhead light on.

 

\---------------------

 

Dressed in a pair of thermal jogging pants and an under armor top, hair tamed as best as he can bother with this early in the morning, Hux quietly exits the bathroom. His windbreaker and sweatshirt draped over his arm, running shoes hooked on his fingers.

He creeps out into the hallway, careful of the squeaky floorboards. He heads down towards the main part of the house, making his way down the stairs and into the living room.

He isn't sure when everyone else settled down last night, he'd left them shortly after Leia set out dessert. On top of Hux’s early departure from the night's events, they'd also been unable to announce the engagement. Needless to say, Hux doesn't expect to find anyone awake at this early hour.

The smell of coffee alerts him to the presence of someone else as he steps off the stairs. He pauses. Using the wall as a crutch he pulls his shoes on, not bothering to untie them, he taps his heel against the bottom step lightly before pulling his other shoe on.

Rounding the corner into the kitchen Hux finds Leia quietly conversing with someone Hux hasn't met yet. The person isn't facing him but he’s positive they're male, he’s just a smidge shorter than Ben’s mother and his mess of hair rivals Ben and Anakin’s both. It’s like they’re in a three-way contest for ‘most unkempt’.

“Good Morning” Leia greets Hux with a small smile over the rim of the mug she’s holding close to her face.

“Morning” Hux manages to responds with a little nod of his head.

The stranger turns ever so slightly. Hux recognizes him from the photographs now. Ben’s cousin’s other boyfriend. Poe Dameron.

“We haven't been introduced, I'm-” Hux starts extending a hand.

“Oliver Hux” Poe interrupts. “Ben’s told me a lot about you” He takes Hux’s hand and gives a firm shake. He doesn't release his hold right away, squeezes harder than necessary and stares at Hux for a moment. It starts getting weird by the time Poe finally releases him, continuing to stare.

“Is Ben still asleep?” Leia asks breaking the awkward  silence. Hux appreciates it immensely.

“Like the dead” He informs her with a nod of confirmation.

“That boy could sleep till the end of time and be perfectly content” Leia laughs lightly. “He informed us last night, that you enjoy morning runs, so I had Han clear the trail before he left for the shop”

“You didn't have to do that” Hux replies bashfully.

“The trail doesn't see much use anymore” She tells him. “Ben would spend hours on those trails with Chewie. Always came back a mess” She smiles into her mug fondly.

“Thank you”

“Take a bottle of water” She waves off his thanks with another little laugh. “Enjoy your run, sweetheart.”

The endearment causes Hux to falter as he attempts to make a hasty exit. He can feel their eyes on his back as he leaves.

 

\--------------------

 

Outside Hux quickly tugs his sweatshirt and windbreaker on, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pair of earbuds. He never remembers to grab them when he leaves so he keeps a pair in the pocket of nearly every piece of outerwear he owns. Plugging the earbuds into his phone he quickly opens his playlist and sets out for his run.

He doesn’t know any of the songs downloaded, not very well at the very least. Phasma’s girlfriend added them all when he’d taken up running a few years ago, when Phasma got promoted and didn’t have time to spar with him anymore.

Running was different from the usual workouts Hux did, it wasn’t as violent, but had the same calming effects. When he was on a run everything else was unimportant, everything else melted to the back of his mind. Clearing his mind from the garble that was work and anxiety and other things. This run, however, allows him the privacy to gather his thoughts and figure out their next move.

So Hux runs.

The trail was wonderful, the perfect amount of flat ground mixed with inclines and declines. He’d jog the flat, sprint the inclines and slow to a walk for the declines. It was the kind of workout that the claustrophobic city streets couldn’t dream of providing.

While he’s running he thinks about the things he’s learned about his assistant in the past twenty four hours. It isn’t much, not nearly as much information as what Ben already knows about him but it’s a start. Meeting Ben’s family has been eye opening. They’re quirky and so fond of each other, their affection is completely unconditional. It’s not something Hux is used too, in a familial setting.

Ben clearly wasn’t the idiot oaf, Hux had originally thought him to be. Although Hux ub8  hadn’t thought about Ben like that in a while, a few years even. He knew Ben was equal parts intelligent and passionate. He also knew that Snoke had a weird obsession with the other man, bordering on unhealthy and stalker like. Initially that had been why Hux and Ben hadn’t gotten along, Hux thought Snoke was going to edge him out, using Ben as the chisel.

It’s on his run, that Hux decides he will see this weekend through, he’ll see this whole thing through to the very end, because it was his idea and the consequences of him not sticking to this arrangement are too severe. He’ll be a good fiancé, marry Ben promptly, get his visas all squared away and then give Ben his promotion along with a simple, quick divorce.

Exactly like he agreed to do in the first place.

He’s at it for an hour, following the trail deep into the woods, looping around the house and eventually coming out on the other side. When he can see the house again he slows to a stop. He stays still for a moment, hands pressed against his ribs, catching his breath before finally heading back to the house. He needs a shower desperately, he's now covered in sweat and he'd never had a chance to wash the plane off of himself yesterday.

 

\-----------------

 

Ben 

He manages to sleep for another hour after Hux leaves for his morning run. It all feels very domestic, of course if that were the case Ben wouldn’t have spent the night on the floor instead of in his bed.

Ben figures Hux will be back soon enough and he won’t want to spend all day cooped up in Ben’s childhood home. So he forces himself out from under his pile of blankets and pillows. He pushes himself up onto his knees, hair a total mess, red lines from his blankets litter his skin and the t-shirt he decided to sleep in his rucked up awkwardly around his midsection.

Ben yawns, barely managing to cover his mouth with his hand as his jaw pops audibly. He makes a move to get up and ends up flopping over onto his side with a groan. His brain is telling him it’s time to get a move on but his heart is saying the bed is really very comfortable.

It takes him a moment, he can hear his family moving around just beyond the door, as everyone starts to wake. He can hear someone banging around in the kitchen and Chewie pacing in the hall. Pressing his face into his quilt, Ben finally moved to stands up. He stretches, arms towards the ceiling back arching, and then stumbles towards the bathroom, peeling his shirt off in the process. A shower will do him some good, wake him up a little.

    In the bathroom Ben turns the shower on and the temperature up as high as he can get it to go. It takes a couple seconds for the water to go from Antarctic to skin melting. The small bathroom fills with steam quickly, fogging the mirrors.

    Ben finishes stripping and and steps into the tub, under the spray

 

\-------------------

 

Hux 

When Hux returns to the house, he re-enters through the front door. Considering the time it is likely that if he goes through the back door he’ll walk right into an already crowded kitchen and he just wants to slip upstairs unseen and take a well deserved shower.

He steps through the door, closing it gently, turns and freezes. In the living room, Obi-wan, Padmé and Anakin are on the couch, all three of them appear to be fast asleep. Padmé and Obi-wan are leaning against each other shoulder to shoulder towards the far end of the couch, Anakin is sprawled out across the rest of the remaining space, his head in Obi-wan’s lap.

Hux walks past the sleeping threesome with slow, quiet steps. It takes him longer to get to the stairs but when he looks over his shoulder Ben’s grandparents are still fast asleep cuddled up together. For a moment Hux wonders what it was like growing up with them around. He takes the stairs two at a time, speeding up to Ben’s room and just narrowly avoiding colliding with Chewie. Hux shuts the door before the dog can bully his way into the room.

All Hux wants right now is a nice hot shower, he can practically smell himself and his skin is clammy and moist from the cold and his sweat. Chewie barks and there is a thump against the door, Hux jumps away from the door and makes a quick retreat towards the bathroom, pulling his headphones off.

He collides with Ben as they both attempt to get through the bathroom door at the same time. Hux hits Ben’s chest face first and when he recoils their legs get tangled and they fall. Hux hits the floor hard but somehow, Ben manages to catch himself, it doesn’t stop his fall as much as it stops him from crushing Hux’s slighter form under a bulkier one. For a few seconds they both stare at each other wide eyed and panting.

“Oh my god! Why are you naked?!” Hux shouts, his voice comes out cracked and hoarse, his pale face darkens to a deep crimson.

“Why are you wet?!” Ben shouts back and Hux is a little irritated that his voice sounds perfectly fine despite the higher octave.

Hux scrambles out from under Ben and both men push themselves to their feet. They’re staring at each other again, for a millisecond Hux’s eyes stray from Ben’s face downward before snapping back up.

“You’re showing everything!” Hux flushes even darker, he’s almost certain he’s purple now.

A very wet towel hits him in the face at the same time as Ben shouts, “Don’t look!,” They turn their backs to each other. Hux can hear Ben rummaging around, “What were you thinking just barging in?!”

“I was outside..” Hux starts to explain loudly, but Ben interrupts him.

“You didn’t hear me?” Ben asks, he has quieted down considerably.

“I was listening to..” Hux doesn’t continue just thrusts his headphones into the air. “Then your dog attacked me and I ran into you!” Hux yells and then spins around to face Ben again, this time Ben has a pair of loose sweatpants on rather than nothing.

“Stop shouting. My mom’s going to think we’re fighting” Ben says his voice getting louder again.

“We are fighting!” Hux shrieks. He blows out a breath, glaring at Ben irritably, they’re staring at each other again and Hux is only irritated further when the corner of Ben’s mouth picks up ever so slightly in a little smirk. The larger man steps out of the way of the bathroom.

“Go, you stink”

Hux grinds his teeth together staring at Ben a moment longer before he stomps past Ben and into the bathroom. He hears Ben make a comment in a horrible mimicry of his voice and whips the wet towel still in his possession at the back on Ben’s head. He hears a satisfying little yelp before slamming the bathroom door.

 

\-------------------

 

Ben 

“What was all that about?” Leia asks Ben from across the dining room table once he’s sat down with his own mug of coffee. Ben knows from growing up in this house that she didn’t hear the ‘argument’ word for word, only that she heard the raised voices.

“It was nothing” He tells her quietly, taking a sip from the steaming mug in his hand. She gives him a look that tells him she thinks he’s lying.

“Benjamin Bail Solo, if you’ve ruined this relationship over something ridiculous…” She starts to scowled him loudly.

“It’s not ruined” He glances at her then drops his gaze back to his mug, absently swirls the liquid around in it before taking a long gulp. The coffee is still hot and he burns the roof of his mouth. “It was barely an argument, besides if meeting all of you didn’t ruin this relationship nothing will” He jokes gently looking back up at his mother and giving her a cheeky little smile.

She scowls at him in return. “We all like this boy, Ben. A little shy but we’ll work that out of him eventually”

Ben has to cover up a snort with a cough, Hux is anything but shy. Last night was just a slight anomaly because he the other man was anxious from the flight and Chewie. “I like him too” He says because his mother is waiting for some kind of response. He says it easily and he realizes that he isn’t lying.

He likes Hux. Oliver Hux, who is uptight, rude and above all else the devil incarnate, but who is also passionate, hardworking and riddled with little flaws, who is terrified of flying and even more so of dogs, who’s got the worst anxiety Ben’s ever seen in one person and a case of OCD that ranges in severity from mild to extreme. Oliver Hux who goes running at the same time every morning no matter the weather, takes his tea with way too much sugar, refuses to call anyone by a nickname and flushes like a school kid when embarrassed.

“You look like you’ve just had an epiphany” Leia muses, watching her son carefully.

Ben hesitates for a moment. “We’re engaged” He tells her quietly. He stares at her, eyes a little wide, because she doesn’t know it but, this is the first time he’s said it out loud, fake or not he’s engaged to Hux and he finds that he doesn’t really mind that much.

Leia stares back at him, blinking slowly, she doesn’t respond.

“I really hope you weren’t lying about liking him…” Ben starts to say and then Leia is around the table her arms wrapped tightly around her son, pulling his head to her chest and holding him tightly.

She shushes him like she used to when he was little, even despite the fact that he isn't upset. He reaches up slowly and places a hand on one of her arms, holds on to her much more gently than she is holding onto him.

“You better not be lying to me, Ben” She sniffles and presses her nose into his messy hair, still wet from his earlier shower.

“I’m not.” He says it firmly but still lying all the same, she doesn’t need to find out. Ben is ashamed of how easy lying to her is for him. Little lies like ‘I’m fine.’ or ‘Dad did it’ always came easily as a boy, just like they would for any child but as he got older the lying escalated until Ben was living all the way on the other side of the country and only visited once in a blue moon.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” She asks through another sniffle.

“Wanted to make sure you liked him…” He lies again. But this one is the most believable thing Ben could ever choose to say to his mother. He values her opinion even when he doesn’t really want it.

“We’d like anyone you decide to bring home” She tells him gently.

“Dad would. You’re a little harder to please”

She thumps him lightly on the head for the comment but when she releases him finally, she’s smiling. “I’m so proud of you, you know that right?”

“Of course” He nods and out of the corner of his eye she can see her crinkle her nose at his simple response, but he knows she’s used to the half affections of the Solo men and doesn’t actually mind.

The stairs creak loudly, it’s the only warning they get before Rey, Finn and Poe come around the corner, BB-8 rolling and weaving around their feet. Poe is the only one of the three that is put together but he looks exhausted, Ben figures that the pilot drove all night to get home so early. Rey and Finn are sleep rumpled, still in their pajamas, but both are beaming, the pair most likely didn’t think Poe would make it in until later today.

Rey presses a kiss to the corner of both men’s mouths before she steps away from them, moving around the table and deeper into the kitchen, Ben knows she is looking for breakfast and coffee, lots of coffee.

Without Rey to protect him, Finn suddenly looks a bit nervous, his eyes meet Ben’s momentarily and then he’s looking away and sliding closer into Poe’s side. He must still be sleep hazed because Ben had assumed the man was no longer intimidated by him, after getting to know each other last night.

Poe doesn’t seem to notice Finn’s nervousness, or if he does he doesn’t address it, he simply guides Finn to a seat and pulls the adjacent chair closer before sitting down as well.

They’re practically on top of each other, and Ben thinks that this must be how he and Hux had looked at the table last night. Suddenly, Ben feels a small pang of jealousy, it’s a feeling he’s used to but not in this kind of situation.

It’s not that Ben is jealous of Finn being with Poe or vis versa, more so the fact that after this weekend he’ll never get to experience what Poe, Finn and Rey must experience in their relationship, at least, not with Hux.

“You’re engaged?!” Rey’s voice is shrill and right in Ben’s ear.

He hadn’t noticed his mother following his cousin into the kitchen, hadn’t noticed them re-enter and definitely hadn’t heard his mother telling Rey the ‘happy’ news. He nods, a rough bob of his head and ducks when she swats at him. He’s been hit more than enough times by this women to last him till his next visit.

“Why didn’t you say anything? I thought you’d only just started dating! Why isn’t he wearing a ring?” Her questions come rapidly, never allowing Ben any time to answer.

“I didn’t know how to bring it up. It’s fairly recent but we’ve worked together for so long it’s like we were already in a relationship. Wearing a ring would defeat the purpose of keeping it a secret” He answers her questions as quickly as he can while making up most of the information on the spot. He and Hux hadn’t actually discussed how they’d bring the subject up to Ben’s parents and family. Ben will just have to remember which details he’s already come up with.

“Just last month I was talking you out of killing this guy” Poe states around a mouthful of toast.

“He’s… A lot to handle. Especially at work.” Ben explains the incident away quickly. Poe doesn't look like he believes him but he doesn't press the issue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments are greatly appreciated. If you would like to see a specific scene from the film make it's way into this fic (ex: bathroom scene} or want to see more of couples other than Kylux make sure to comment or message me on my tumblr Elvishhearts.tumblr.com


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